Xploration • Curation • Recommendation
Coriolis Effects releases its second superb Compact take on the Spaceman Effects Gemini III - the improved Grissom Young Dual Fuzz II Edition - with fully variable gain controls
So I’ve been after a Spaceman Gemini III Dual Fuzz Generator ever since I got back into guitar in September of 2016 - right at the start of the Guitar Pedal X Journey. I came across the Gemini III very early on during that phase, but since it was released way back in May of 2011 (some 5 years earlier!) - market prices were already high by the time I came across it - if I recall correctly - typically fetching a price of around or just over $1,000- which makes it all very dear once you’ve then had to pay the extra shipping and Customs and Import charges on top of that.
So the Spaceman Gemini III has remained a highly impractical acquisition - and in fact today the prices are even higher - where some pristine examples of that pedal - are fetching prices now of over $2,000. Meaning that said target was actually moving further and further away from me, until my friend Devin McNeilly of Coriolis Effects decided to do his own second take on the Gemini back in May of this year. He only made 3 initially - one for himself and 2 extras - where I totally missed that announcement somehow. And did not catch up - until he did a second batch was released in this September just passed - where I believe he’s now done a total of 9 of that Edition - and where mine is handily number #008 - so evidently I got one of the very last ones.
Only 160 of the original Geminin III’s were made - and have remained in very high demand ever since then. They were originally priced @ $359 - but were soon trading at up to triple that amount.
The naming of Devin’s take is particularly clever - as the 2 Astronauts / Pilots for the 1965 Gemini III mission - supposedly the first manned orbital space flight - were Virgil ’Gus’ Grissom, and John W Young - hence ’Grissom Young’!
As mentioned - this is the second of Devin’s takes - now in 125B enclosure - where Devin originally did a larger 1590BB take back in 2022 I believe it was. That version was mechanically identical to the original - just in a larger format.
He was able to source the exact same Tungsram and Motorola Transistors - indeed all the same key parts - Transistors, Diodes and Transformer - as below.
Components
You can see gold flakes / flecks within in the green paint job!
TRANSISTORS
- Q1-Q2 : AC128
- Q3 : AC176
- Q4-Q5 : 2N2222A
- Q6 : 2N3700
- Q7 : 2N5088
DIODES
- D1-D2 : 1N4148
- D3 : 1N5817
TRANSFORMER
- TR1 : 42TL019
I totally missed that earlier 1590BB version - which is just as well really, as it was not right for my preferences and sensibilities. And of course good things come to those who wait - as long you don't wait too long!
And Devin's recent Candy Apple Green 125B take is a total work of art - and in fact improved from the original version - now with top-mounted jacks, and fully variably mini Gain knobs - where the original had 3 switchable Gain settings for each side of the circuit - courtesy of some handy resistors I believe. The new take in effect extends the range and variability of those Gain controls - via those fully variable pots.
Controls - Master, Filter / Tone Sweep Direction switch / invert, Filter / EQ, Ge Gain (fully variable), Blend, Si Gain (fully variable).
So in effect I have totally lucked out here - with an improved and better looking version over the original The new pedal looks as amazing as it sounds. I am delighted to own this particuala version of the circuit - as given the choice right from the start - I would have always taken this Coriolis Effects one over the original. It's the exact same circuit in any case - just a little bit even better.
I could not be more delighted. I just need Devin to now make a version of my other long-term unobtanium target - the Blakemore Effects Deus Ex Machina OpAmp Fuzz with Mid-Boost and Clean Blend! Devin really makes some amazing looking and quite exceptional sounding pedals.
This is the second of his that I own - after the 'Hail to the King' Compact KOT take. He's even done a later edition of that with the Treble Booster onboard - in homage to the recent Chase Bliss Brothers AM KOT take!
Devin has made so many excellent pedals over the years - and they sell out so quickly - so you're always delighted if you managed to snag one! There's a few more on that legacy roster that I would have liked to have landed - he made a particularly attractive version of the Smallsound/Bigsound Mini - the Small Drive - which I just missed out on - where I do own the original to that though - but would have liked to have owned both!
He also did a really cool take on the Ibanez Standard Slider Fuzz recently - last year I think - which sold out very quickly too.
Since only a handful of Grissom Young Dual Fuzz II's have been made - there are no demos yet, nor necessarily ever likely to be! - so I will make use of the original Gemini III demo below - for the sake of sound samples! It is the exact same core circuit after all!
As of my writing this there remained one still in stock on the Coriolis Effects Webstore - for the quite superb price of just $269 - while that one has probably been snatched up by now. Note that the Grissom Young has a current draw of less than 10mA!
Spaceman Effects has made some amazing fuzzes over the years - while I feel that its Gemini III and Sputnik I are extra special. I've long championed my Red Cyrillic Sputnik I - while the Gemini III is very much its equal - and further enhanced in this evolved take. Both deliver the most magnificent textures and harmonics - pedals to savour for sure!
UPDATE! - My good friend Ian Pittam (Gigahearts) spotted a Gemini III for sale on Rich Tone Music - for a very reasonable price - just £349 - which is rare for a Gemini III. Of course I snagged it - and it should be with me the day after this article goes live. It's a Blue enclosure variant with serial number 08/15 - or #8 of 15 - it's pretty cool that both my Gemini III variants - original and evolved - are both serial number #8. This is surely an allegorical equivalent to buses! The top facia looks pretty flawless, while there are a few scuffs and scratches on the enclosure and what looks like a single small chip too - the back is also a touch rough - I will see if I can polish any of that out! I will photograph my Gemini III when it lands - and do a further follow-up feature.
Sound Samples Reference - Original Spaceman Gemini III
